The Bottom Line
Due to a dramatic 26 percent year-over-year decline in prices across all pixel-pitch categories in 2016, LED video-display shipments are expected to grow 27.5 percent with 4.9 percent revenue growth this year.
The outdoor-retail category held almost 40 percent of total market share, due to the high brightness and durability of LED video. However, as installation shifts to indoor applications, this market share is expected to drop to 35 percent by 2020.
LED video price erosion and the market’s increasing appetite for higher resolution displays will shift pixel-pitch categories lower, with 2-4.99mm being installed for both indoor and outdoor digital signage applications and 5-9.99mm catering purely to outdoor displays.
With indoor and outdoor retail and public spaces acting as the main driving force, these categories are expected to achieve year-over-year growth of 98 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

Samsung announced its acquisition of Logan, Utah-based YESCO Electronics, LLC, a notable manufacturer of LED signs and displays. The terms of the deal have not been publicly disclosed. This acquisition clearly reinforces Samsung’s strategy of incorporating direct-view LED video display technology into their existing product mix to seamlessly cater to both indoor and outdoor digital signage applications.

LED video displays have finally moved to the mainstream signage and professional displays market. This was evident at Integrated Systems Europe 2015 in Amsterdam, where most of the display brands showcased their new LED video display products in an effort to seamlessly cater to both indoor and outdoor applications.

Front projectors have been the leading technology in the education market due to its price advantage over other technologies. However, increasing need for student engagement and collaboration is driving significant change in instructional technology in classrooms. While widespread use of interactive flat panel displays may take a few years, Interactive White Boards (IWBs) are commonly used in the education vertical, particularly in K-12 schools, due to their price, flexibility, design and ability to engage with students.

The demand for LCDs in digital signage is becoming increasingly diverse, with many noteworthy trends in LCD technology allowing these displays to be employed in a wide range of vertical markets. These trends during 2014 sets the stage for the coming year, and IHS expects total worldwide LCD digital signage displays to enjoy moderate increases of 7.3% and 7.8% in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Smart TVs are quickly becoming the new standard to enhance guest experience in the hospitality industry. Hoteliers are looking at Smart TVs as the next big revenue generating opportunity in the hospitality industry, and many hotels are willing to incorporate these solutions to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Earlier this year, Clear Channel Outdoor announced the successful rollout of their Connect platform, an interactive mobile advertising platform that enables seamless campaign integration between out-of-home (OOH) advertising and mobile devices across 29 markets in North America and Europe.

The worldwide market for signage and professional displays is forecast to grow by 7% to 16.3 million units in 2014. LCD displays and Front Projector remain the top selling technologies, according to the latest release on Signage and Professional Displays from IHS. Revenue for the worldwide signage and professional displays is projected to reach $13.8 billion in 2014, 1.4% up from 2013.

Barco announces their acquisition of Montreal-based X2O Media, supporting Barco’s strategy to broaden their offerings from display and projection technology. X2O Media will continue the development of its platform technology, while also leveraging business growth from Barco's worldwide sales and service presence. In addition, X2O Media’s specific capabilities and technology will be incorporated gradually in solutions for all of Barco's markets.

For 2014, the Digital Signage Expo featured more than 200 exhibitors at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, and also included pre-show conferences, educational seminars, and industry roundtables all dedicated to the digital signage industry.

Interest in the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia will help the digital signage market in Eastern Europe dig out from under a slump last year, contributing to higher overall shipments in 2014 for the entire Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) region, according to a new report from IHS Technology.